Heart Shaped Crystal
by Silver Ice Rain
Summary: Two hearts broke because her confession wasn't taken seriously. But now that heartbreak is destroying what they have now, and what could be. And someone's back. Or maybe it's not her... AF/HS. AF/MP at the very beginning. Yuck.
1. Dream

_Is it over yet?_

_Can I open my eyes?_

_Is this as hard as it gets?_

_Is this what it feels like_

_To really cry?_

Cry by Kelly Clarkson

~ AF ~

"_Holly!" Artemis shouted through the crowd. "Don't go!"_

_She ran on, tears still streaming down her face. "I didn't mean it!" he yelled. She whirled around and continued walking, backwards._

"_You know that's a lie, and I know it too." Holly said in a strangled voice. He couldn't hear her voice, but she knew he'd be able to read her lips._

"_No!"_

"NO!" Artemis shouted. He sat bolt upright as he woke from his nightmare of a memory. His fiancée rubbed her eyes, yawned and looked at him.

"Are you alright, Arty darling?" she asked sleepily.

"I'm fine, Minerva, perfectly fine," he whispered. But his haunted eyes told the truth.

"_Artemis, I love you," she said seriously. He laughed._

"_Holly, I don't think you really mean that. Truly, how long have we known each other? We're friends, Holly. Nothing can change that. Even if I loved you like that, which I don't, we could never be together. Anyways, who's heard of a fairy and human couple?" he said, laughing again._

_She stared at him in shock. He'd taken her confession as a joke! She ran away from him and into the crowd at the Dublin airport._

"_Holly!" Artemis shouted through the crowd. "Don't go!"_

_She ran on, tears still streaming down her face. "I didn't mean it!" he yelled. She whirled around and continued walking, backwards._

"_You know that's a lie, and I know it too."_

Holly suddenly shot up from her bed, screaming and crying. She cried for a good thirty minutes, and the racking sobs slowly turned into shudders. Her blankets were soaked with her tears. Holly wrenched off her covers.

"D'Arvit! Stupid Mud Man. No little fairy for him. He goes for glamorous genius. Minerva, not Holly," she muttered to herself. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"I HATE YOU, ARTEMIS. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU. I hate you. I hate you." She started out yelling upward, but the last part was a whisper, her head still gazing up. Tears fell again, streaking her face. "I love you, Artemis."

Somewhere, above, in Fowl Manor, a mind was whirring. Artemis was trying to concentrate on different methods of falling asleep, from mental calculations to inventing. He suddenly stopped, however, when he thought he heard yelling and then the tinkling of crystal.

Holly was done crying. Almost. She looked at the floor, and her last tears fell. They somehow combined, creating an odd shape. A blue spark went with the tears, crystallizing it.

A tiny little heart shaped crystal shattered on the floor.

AN: Hi everybody. Thank you for reading and reviewing my first ever AF fic.


	2. How Annoying

Holly Short did not enjoy her morning. She woke up five minutes late and her eyes hurt. Her shower had somehow turned cold for a minute, which was supposed to be impossible (according to Foaly). She got stuck in yet another major traffic jam. By the time she was in the LEP building, she was nearly fifteen minutes late.

"Major Short," a voice called from the commander's office. Holly could feel the vein in her temple throbbing. "Yes, Commander?" she answered, walking into his office.

"We have another Fowl problem," Commander Trouble Kelp said. For a moment Holly was confused. A foul problem? Couldn't someone else deal with it? Then it hit her. Of course. _Fowl_. She sighed.

"Fowl has hacked into Foaly's system." Big surprise, that was.

"Normally, we wouldn't mind, however, he is threatening to tell the British government about us if he you don't pay him a visit." At these words, all colour drained from Holly's face. Why her? It definitely had something to do with their tragic farewell. She sighed, her chest hurting.

"I'll do it Commander. Actually, I doubt I have a choice," she murmured. Commander Kelp beamed at her. "Thanks Holly."

"Anytime, Trouble."

To anyone looking at Trouble Kelp when he was talking to Holly, he looked like a lovesick fool. He was, actually. But Holly had no idea, for she was focused fully on a Mud Man. Her heart broke a little more each time someone mentioned him. Trouble Kelp had no clue about that. He just thought Holly was being overworked. Really, he thought he was doing her a favour when he gave her the Fowl situation. Weren't they friends? Anyways, she'd get some much needed fresh air.

~ AFHS ~ AFHS ~ AFHS ~

Holly walked to the Operations Booth. Foaly clip-clopped over to her. She had to smile. Caballine really was influencing him. His coat gleamed, there were no knots, and above all, no tinfoil hat.

"Holly," he neighed, "Artemis sent me a virus with a vampire on it. It looks like him. It's really rather creepy."

She looked at him, and burst into laughter. That was so Artemis-like! A vampire virus that was designed to look like him. But it didn't last very long. Her chest throbbed. She cleared her throat.

"Okay, Foaly, amaze me," she said. A memory of Artemis saying the exact same thing in the Spiro Needle hit her head on. Foaly spoke, not realizing the pain that Holly was in.

"Earpiece. It's got camfoil built into it, so it's invisible to the naked eye. It's also made of stealth ore, so it's invisible to camera. Iris-cam, hazel of course. Shimmer Suit, and my very latest helmet. It bounces, rolls, and flies. No. 1 also added in a little something. He found a way to store enormous amounts of magic into memory crystal, so you can get a power boost when you run out of magic, only once mind you. Your suit, helmet, and Neutrino are all now a one-female set. Ever since that latest Opal fiasco…" Foaly shuddered. So did Holly. Evil, power-crazed Opal Koboi. Not fun. And Artemis' near death. Holly clenched her jaw.

"One last thing, Holly," Foaly said, "I'm giving you my new wing prototype. I've got two, but I'm still hoping you don't ruin your set." He walked over to a rack and selected a pair of wings.

"These new wings are the Falcon. I basically copied a Falcon's wing structure. Hummingbirds are fast, but Falcons are faster and far more powerful. It can lift up to 300 pounds, and it's powered by kinetics with a mini backup nuke cell, like your Neutrino." Holly grinned. Just how fast could these new wings of Foaly go?

~ AFHS ~ AFHS ~ AFHS ~

Fifteen minutes later, Holly was at the Fowl Manor gate. She had had to stop because she was laughing hysterically. Foaly was heard in the background, puking, having followed her flight. Holly was giddy from her adrenaline rush. She loved these wings! 350 miles per hour, now that was something. She sobered very quickly, though. Fowl Manor loomed over her. She walked through the gate, unshielded, and walked up to the front door. Holly rang the doorbell, waiting like a nervous little girl. Minerva answered the door. Her blonde hair was still curly, but she was 21 and her face glowed happily.

"My Arty darling is waiting for you in his study," Minerva told her cheerily. Sadly, her cheeriness did not make Holly cheery too. If anything, it made her more upset. They walked to his study, Minerva babbling about her upcoming wedding and Holly was silent, listening to what could have been if it was she who was loved by Artemis. And Minerva calling Artemis "her Arty darling" was seriously getting on her nerves. 'Really,' Holly thought, 'build a bridge and get over it.'

"Here we are," Minerva chirped. A vein was visibly pulsing on Holly's temple. That girl's voice was seriously annoying. The door was opened and Holly was surprised. This couldn't be Artemis… could it?


	3. Truffles, Anyone?

It certainly looked like him, but not quite. He was a bit taller, and his hair slightly longer. His hair wasn't perfectly in place; there were a few stray strands hanging in his face. There also seemed to be some very dark navy blue highlights. He still had a slim frame, but he seemed to have kept his promise to keep in shape, for once in his life. The suit he wore normally was gone, replaced with a button down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, and the top few buttons were unbuttoned. He called, "Come in, Captain Short." Then he yawned and stretched like a cat.

"Artemis?" she stuttered, slightly unsure. How could this be Artemis, it wasn't like him to be fit, or messy, or careless, or so cute-looking, or WAIT, WHAT?! The ferocity of her own thoughts startled her for a moment. It wasn't possible. She was five times his age…

"Hello Holly," Artemis said, clearly amused at her expression. She snapped out of her daze and blushed. She looked around and found Minerva gone, the door closed. Holly suddenly missed her presence, although a minute before it had annoyed her. He smiled. "How have you been?"

Artemis wasn't actually sure he wanted to hear her answer. Did she hate him? Really, after what he'd done, that wasn't the worst that could be. What if-

"I've been doing well, Artemis. And it's _Major_ Short. I got promoted a couple of years ago," Holly explained, smiling gently. Artemis was relieved. But her face suddenly hardened. "Still tricking innocent women, though?"

His heart fell. So she did hate him for what he'd done. "I'm so sorry, Holly." She continued as if she hadn't heard him.

"Just look at Minerva. You obviously don't even like her, romantically at least. And she's a blubbering mess when she talks about you. You're just toying with her, and as brilliant as she is, she isn't that good with her emotions." Holly's tirade was interrupted when Butler burst through the door.

"Artemis, we've got a problem."

~ AF ~

"There's a special on CNN tomorrow night. Normally, we wouldn't be concerned, but it's about a species that has been hidden for the past 2000 years. A species that lives hidden underground," Butler explained, hoping they got what he was implying. Artemis paled (further) instantly. He could tell Holly didn't get it, as she was frowning and looking like she was wondering what kind of bug Butler was talking about.

Artemis sighed. "Fairies, Holly," he explained. Holly stared at him in horror.

"You liar! You promised that if I came you wouldn't tell them!" she screamed at him.

This time it was Artemis who didn't understand. "Tell who?"

"The Mud Men, you moron. Don't you remember? In that email you sent, the one that came with the vampire Artemis virus?" she asked, as if trying to speak to a child. He looked shocked.

"I never did that. _You _sent me a note telling me you were going to visit," he said, brain whirring. She rolled her eyes.

"Don't play innocent with me Mud Boy," Holly sighed, "it doesn't work on me. Artemis and innocent are polar opposites."

Artemis suddenly stopped moving. "Do you smell that?" he asked her. She nodded. "It smells like-"

And everything went black.

~ AF ~

Holly awoke with a splitting headache. This was definitely not normal. Her magic should have healed it by now. At least it wasn't too bright.

"Welcome," a loud voice boomed. Suddenly, hundreds of bright lights were shining on her. She heard a groan coming from behind her. Holly tried standing, but something kept her down. Not that it mattered. Even if she could stand, she couldn't see.

The lights dimmed. Her eyes adjusted quickly. She was tied to Artemis, so they were back to back. She wasn't sure if he was up yet.

"Holly? Are you awake?" Oh. Well, that answered her question.

"Yeah, but I've got no idea where we're at," she said.

"And you've got terrible grammar,: Captain Obvious. Oh wait, that's _Major_ Obvious," he shot at her. She scowled. Nice to know he hadn't lost his sense of sarcasm.

"Oh? And you've got bright red silk Armani boxers on right now. It's Friday, yes?" she said coolly. A loud cough interrupted their lovely little argument. A small figure was displayed all across the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Opal Koboi's childish face flashed everywhere.

"Welcome to the land of the condemned. And this time, there's no escape."

AN: Thanks so much for reading. Please review. Sorry that it took a while. I'm, what, thirteen? I'm not that great of a writer, and this is an interesting challenge to me. Chocolate truffles to all those who review. (I love chocolate)

Silver Rain


	4. Neon Stickers

DISCLAIMER: I just noticed I haven't done these yet. If I owned Artemis Fowl, I'd make him fall in love with me... or Holly (which he already is)... But alas, I do not own him, so :(

Opal grinned. "Master Fowl, you should enjoy this. You like puzzles, correct? And Major Short, some physical challenges. Have fun," the childish pixie said mockingly. The screens went dark, and it was once again dark. Lines suddenly appeared everywhere, creating a complex design of completely straight lines.

Holly looked around her. Attempting to turn her head to Artemis, she mused out loud, "The lines are between the screens, we simply need to find where they stop and-"

"We're in a maze," Artemis interrupted her. Holly opened her mouth to say something, but realized she couldn't, and shut it again. Opal's voice rang out.

"I see all, I hear all. Remember, Mud Boy, a puzzle. Miss Short, I doubt you'll understand, for you are a simpleton." Silence. "Ah, yes. Miss Short, don't hurt yourself. It'll ruin everything."

Holly was piqued by Opal's taunting. _I know not to hurt myself. I'm not _that_ stupid. What am I going to do, bleed my way out of this mess?_ Koboi's words' double meaning came crashing down on her. The old LEP trick Vinyaya taught her. Of course. Opal _wanted _her to do this… The plastic tying her to Artemis…

"Holly? What are you doing?" Artemis inquired curiously, as he had not seen her do this when she had rescued No. 1.

"D'Arvit," she swore as she scratched herself, "heal." The magic healed her torn skin, and the blue sparks melted off the plastic connecting their wrists. She sighed in relief as her hands were freed.

"So Arty, any ideas?" Holly asked. Artemis looked at her. "Don't look at me like that!" she whined.

"Of course I have an idea. Who would I be if I didn't?" he said huffily. Holly found this amusing, Artemis being child-like. How odd. He continued. "These neon lights bordering the screens are to disorient us. However, I do not believe this is all there is. This is a labyrinth. Opal most likely got her idea from Greek mythology's labyrinth. Created by Daedalus the inventor, the labyrinth was constantly shifting." Holly half expected the walls to move. "This was created to challenge us. I assume that we shall have to work together to get out of this. I also believe there will be life-threatening things in this maze, although it does not seem like it."

Holly snorted. "Life-threatening? I don't think so. This is entertainment. Difficult perhaps, but not life-threatening. I have a gut feeling, though, that Koboi's not the only one in on this thing."

~ AF ~

They walked down a path, took a right, and came face to face with a wall. A panel moved and slid behind them, creating a very small room. One of the room walls' panels flashed different colours, multiple colors each second. Holly had gotten sick after 5 seconds, but Artemis was staring intently at the panels, studying each colour.

"So Master Fowl, having fun?" a malicious and robotic voice said. Without waiting for an answer, Opal continued. "Your age in years are minutes, your age is your death with no breath."

Holly frowned. "Koboi, what sort of riddle was that? It didn't make sense, and that was a terrible, terrible rhyme. And this was the best you could think of?" Opal's face came up, furious.

"Do you truly think this is all there is? You impudent imbecile! You shall never understand! I am a goddess, and Wisdom is on my side. Fool, thinking this is all I have." She shrieked ear-splittingly. And the screens went black. Pitch black. The side lights came on, flashing all colours at the same time and changing, constantly shifting. The effect was stomach sickening and head dizzying.

"We have 21 minutes," Artemis stated calmly, "until this room will contain no more oxygen. We will get out. Don't panic." Holly panicked.

~ AF ~

"Do you ever remember playing with the puzzles that were 3x3, but there was one empty space and you had to create a picture?" Artemis asked Holly. She nodded. "There are eight movable panels. This one in the lower right hand corner will be that empty space. These panels themselves are not movable, but they are most likely touch screens. The flashing of colours was not totally useless. Only one colour was repeated eight times. The panel that first flashed it will be in the upper left hand corner. It will then go from left to right." Artemis began touching screens, dragging them to places that Holly could not see because of the neon lights that were bright compared to the darkness. A few minutes passed in the silent darkness.

"Ah. Holly, a wise idea, if you would not like to become blind for a several days, is to cover your eyes." As if on cue, bright lights began pulsing all around them. Holly groaned. She could still see the colours through her closed eyes. At least she understood why her eyes were closed and why the lights were on. After getting used to the darkness, the lights would have burned her eyes. Opal was probably watching this right now, laughing at them.

Holly clenched her jaw. There was nothing she could do, but like this, Artemis wouldn't be able to finish that stupid puzzle. They sat there on the floor for 10 minutes, unable to do anything because of the lights that would dim and then brighten.

When the lights finally stopped, Artemis opened his eyes. He scrambled to the wall, knowing they had only minutes left. Holly could feel the air thinning, getting harder to breath. The side neon lights were dimming.

"Hurry, Mud Boy," Holly wheezed, her eyes watering.

"Almost done, just one left," he murmured. The room was now in total darkness. "Done," he said in a tired and satisfied. He opened his eyes wider to try to see around. It was at that moment, as Holly was rubbing her watery eyes, that a blinding white light surrounded them.

AN: Guess what happens next! If anyone gets it right, I'll send them the next chapter as I write it. I'm very irregular. My b-day was yesterday! And my cousin's wedding. Review! Flames appreciated, tell me how to improve. Oh yes, if you're guessing, give me email too! And send me interesting insults! I seem to have lots of weird stuff on here...

~ Silver


	5. The Muppets

**AN: Sorry BB, but you were wrong. No one got it. ******** Well, more like just about nobody guessed. *sigh***

Artemis cried out in shock and pain.

"Holly," he choked out. She stopped rubbing her eyes, having seen the light, still bright, through her hands, able to see, looked at him. By this time, the bright light had disappeared and they were in a corridor of screens. Artemis was on the floor, hands covering his face.

She sighed. "Come, Artemis," she said, offering her hand to him. He breathed out a sigh, and reached out his right hand, trying to find Holly's. She scowled at his scrabbling. "Hurry, Artemis. We haven't got all day." She snapped.

Artemis removed his hand from his face and turned to look in her general direction. "Holly," he whispered, "I can't see. I'm blind."

~ AF ~

"Don't panic," he said, in a slightly louder voice and slightly too late, "it'll only be for 26 minutes. Until then, you'll guide me." He held out his hand for her to take.

She sighed. Did he always try to take the hard way out? She took his hand and was about to say the magic word when Artemis stopped her.

"Don't," he said sharply, sightless and mismatched eyes staring at her. "Opal won't allow magic anymore. This is her game, and we must play by the rules."

So Holly walked down the hallway with Artemis. They both soon realized that there were no turns. Holly turned to Artemis, about to say something, although she didn't know what, when the screens flashed to life. She snarled like a wildcat at the image dancing across the screen.

"Having sight problems, Muddy?" a voice rang out. Opal sat on an ornately carved wooden bed, kicking her small feet like a child, hair braided, wearing a gold and white toga. Holly instantly recognized Fowl Manor. "I'm getting bored," Opal continued. "Let's watch a movie, shall we?"

The screens shifted to stone walls and a paved walkway. The only way was forward.

~ AF ~

Artemis' 26 minutes of blindness were over. It had taken a good four minutes for his eyes to adjust back to the light. When his blue and hazel eyes were comfortable, he knew what Opal's movie was.

It had been his secret favourite movie as a child. It even starred his still favourite singer.

The Labyrinth.

**AN: DUN DUN DUUNN!! OK, I know I haven't updated in forever. And this chapter is insanely crappy. Hope you haven't forgotten about this fic. Review, everyone! Ideas are welcome. Flame me, I'm pyro. I'll use it for melting chocolate for reviewers. I NEED IDEAS. Random ideas are good, people.**


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